TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran’s president is urging Iranians to put a curse on the United States, Israel and Saudi Arabia — blaming the U.S. and its allies for his country’s ailing economy. Monday’s televised remarks by Hassan Rouhani were meant to deflect criticism of his administration’s performance amid a spiraling economy after the Trump […] Tags: News, Saudi Arabia, US, Iran, Ap, Nation, Hassan Rouhani, Rouhani, TEHRAN Iran, United States Israel

Rouhani says Iran will file legal case against U.S. for sanctions | Reuters:Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Monday that the government would file a legal case in Iran against U.S. officials who imposed sanctions on the country as a precursor to action in international courts.Rouhani said in a speech broadcast live on state television that U.S. sanctions had created difficulties including a weaker rial currency that has fed into higher inflation.The United States reimposed sanctions on T... Tags: Travel, Iran, United States, Hassan Rouhani, Tehran, Donald Trump, Rouhani, Rupert Neil Bumfrey, U S for sanctions

Iran's Rouhani inaugurates four new phases of South Pars gas field | Reuters:Iranian President Hassan Rouhani formally inaugurated four new phases of South Pars, the world’s largest gas field, on Sunday, according to a statement posted by the Iranian oil ministry on Twitter.Iran has invested $11 billion to complete the four phases and they will increase the country’s gas production capacity by up to 110 million cubic meters per day, the statement said.Iranian Oil Minister Bijan Zanganeh said on ... Tags: Travel, Qatar, Iran, Hassan Rouhani, Reuters, Rouhani, Bijan Zanganeh, Rupert Neil Bumfrey, Twitter Iran

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran’s official IRNA news agency says President Hassan Rouhani has met with Iraq’s most senior Shiite cleric — the first such meeting for an Iranian leader. The report says Rouhani met with Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani on the third and last day of his official visit to Iraq. Wednesday’s meeting took […] Tags: News, Iraq, Iran, Nation, Hassan Rouhani, Rouhani, IRNA, TEHRAN Iran, Ayatollah Ali al Sistani

Iraq and Iran Build Economic Ties as a Sidelined U.S. Looks On - Bloomberg:In the contest for Iraq’s loyalty, geography is proving irresistible.Baghdad is being urged to take sides in the U.S.-Iran confrontation that’s escalated into one of the Middle East’s top flash-points. President Donald Trump is pushing Iraq to stop buying natural gas and electricity from its neighbor. President Hassan Rouhani wants it to purchase more to ease the pain imposed by American sanctions.So far, Rouhani’s winnin... Tags: Travel, Iraq, Bloomberg, Iran, Middle East, Hassan Rouhani, Donald Trump, Baghdad, Trump, Rouhani, Rupert Neil Bumfrey, Iran Build Economic Ties

Iran's Rouhani signs trade pacts in Iraq to help offset US sanctions | Reuters:Iraq and Iran signed several preliminary trade deals on Monday, Iraqi officials said, as Iranian President Hassan Rouhani began his first visit seeking to bolster Tehran’s influence and expand commercial ties to help offset renewed U.S. sanctions.The deals, among them a plan to build a railway linking the neighbors, emerged soon after the start of Rouhani’s visit, meant to underline that Tehran still plays a dominant ... Tags: Travel, Iraq, US, Iran, United States, Hassan Rouhani, Tehran, Saddam Hussein, Reuters, Rouhani, Islamic Republic Iran, Rupert Neil Bumfrey

The deals, among them a plan to build a railway linking the neighbors, emerged soon after the start of Rouhani's visit, meant to underline that Tehran still plays a dominant role in Iraq despite U.S. efforts to isolate the Islamic Republic. Iran and Iraq fought a devastating 1980-88 war but the 2003 U.S.-led invasion of Iraq that ousted Saddam Hussein prompted a long Sunni Islamist insurgency during which Iran's regional sway rose at the expense of the United States. Rouhani and Iraqi Prime Mi... Tags: Science, Iraq, US, Iran, Tehran, Saddam Hussein, Rouhani, Islamic Republic Iran, Abdul Mahdi, United States Rouhani, Adel Mahdi

BAGHDAD (AP) — Iranian President Hassan Rouhani was in Baghdad on Monday, making his first official visit to the nation that Tehran once fought a bloody war against and later backed in the battle with the Islamic State group. Tags: News, Islamic State, Iran, Ap, Hassan Rouhani, Tehran, Baghdad, Rouhani

Prior to his departure, Rouhani said Shi'ite Muslim Iran was determined to strengthen ties with its Shi'ite-led Arab neighbor, Iranian state television reported on Monday. "One cannot forget the bombs that Americans dropped on Iraq, Syria and other regional countries." During Rouhani's three-day visit a series of agreements will be signed in energy, transport, agriculture, industry and health, the Iranian state news agency IRNA said. "Iraq is an important state in the region and it can play a... Tags: Science, Iraq, Iran, Rouhani, Iraq Syria, IRNA, Shi

Iran's President Hassan Rouhani arrived in Iraq on Monday for his first official visit, state television said, as Baghdad is under pressure from Washington to limit ties with its neighbour. Before leaving Tehran Rouhani hailed the "special" relations between Iran and Iraq, saying they could not be compared to Baghdad's ties "with an aggressor country like America". Tags: News, Washington, Iraq, Iran, Hassan Rouhani, Baghdad, Rouhani, Tehran Rouhani

It is Rouhani's first visit to Baghdad. Prior to his departure he said Shi'ite Iran was determined to strengthen brotherly ties with its neighbour, Iranian state television reported on Monday. The visit will send a strong message to the United States and its regional allies that, in the face of U.S. sanctions, Iran still plays a dominant role in Iraqi politics. Tags: Science, Iraq, Iran, United States, Baghdad, Rouhani, Shi

BAGHDAD (AP) — Iranian President Hassan Rouhani arrived in Baghdad on Monday, making his first official visit to the nation that Tehran once fought a bloody war against and later backed in the battle with the Islamic State group. Since Rouhani’s election in 2013, Iraq has relied on Iranian paramilitary support to fight IS, following […] Tags: News, Islamic State, Iraq, Iran, Ap, Nation, Hassan Rouhani, Tehran, Baghdad, Rouhani

BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraqi television says Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has arrived in Iraq, making his first official visit to the neighboring nation that Tehran once fought a bloody war against and later backed in the battle with the Islamic State group. Rouhani landed in Baghdad on Monday. He is scheduled to meet with both […] Tags: News, Islamic State, Iraq, Iran, Ap, Nation, Hassan Rouhani, Tehran, Baghdad, Rouhani

Shi'ite Iran is determined to strengthen its brotherly ties with neighboring Iraq, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Monday before his "historic" first visit to the country, state television said on Monday. The visit is a strong message to the United States and its regional allies that Iran still dominates Baghdad, a key arena for rising tension between Washington and Tehran. "We are very much interested to expand our ties with Iraq, particularly our transport cooperation," Rouhani said... Tags: Science, Washington, Iraq, Iran, United States, Hassan Rouhani, Tehran, Baghdad, Rouhani, Mehrabad

The first Iranian presidential visit to Iraq since 2013 is also meant to signal to President Donald Trump's administration that Tehran retains its influence in much of the region despite U.S. sanctions. "Iran and Iraq are neighbors and no country can interfere in their relations," Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said after arriving in Baghdad to prepare for the visit. Rouhani's three-day trip starting on Monday includes meetings with Iraq's president and prime minister, tours of Shi'ite ... Tags: Science, Iraq, Iran, Tehran, Donald Trump, Baghdad, Rouhani, Mohammad Javad Zarif, Shi, Grand Ayatollah Ali

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iranian President Hassan Rouhani is making his first official visit to Iraq this week as he faces mounting pressure from hard-liners at home in the wake of the unravelling of the nuclear deal under the Trump administration. Rouhani’s trip — billed as “historic and noble” by his foreign minister — is […] Tags: News, Iraq, Iran, Ap, Nation, Hassan Rouhani, Baghdad, Trump, Rouhani, TEHRAN Iran

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani accused the United States on Wednesday of plotting to use economic pressure to overthrow the Islamic republic's clerical establishment, and ruled out the possibility of talks with Washington. "Iran is in economic and psychological war with America and its allies ... their aim is to change the regime ... But we will not allow it as our nation and the leadership are united against our enemies," Rouhani said in a speech in the northern province of Gilan. Tensions ... Tags: Science, America, Iran, United States, Hassan Rouhani, Donald Trump, Trump, Rouhani, Washington Iran, Syria Yemen Lebanon, Gilan Tensions

Iran's Military Steps Back From Economy With Six-Way Bank Merger - Bloomberg:Iran is combining six local banks as President Hassan Rouhani looks to curb the military’s role in the economy and bolster the country’s financial industry. State-run Bank Sepah will take over five lenders linked with the security forces -- Ansar Bank, Ghavamin Bank, Hekmat Iranian Bank, Mehr Eqtesad and the Kowsar financial credit institution. This is “an important step with a view to maintaining stability and the heal... Tags: Travel, Iran, Hassan Rouhani, Rouhani, Revolutionary Guard Corps, Rupert Neil Bumfrey, Kowsar, Six Way Bank Merger Bloomberg, State run Bank Sepah

Hassan Rouhani has so far neither accepted or rejected Javad Zarif’s resignation from the Iranian governmentThe Iranian president, Hassan Rouhani, is under pressure to reject the resignation of the foreign minister Javad Zarif, who had announced his departure on Monday with a condemnation of what he described as the “deadly poison” of infighting among Iran’s parties and factions.News of the veteran diplomat’s resignation, which he broke in an Instagram post on Monday night, had prompted a fall i... Tags: World news, Iran, Middle East and North Africa, Hassan Rouhani, Rouhani, Javad Zarif